After a very busy end to 2017, I have taken a bit of blogging/ social media break over the last few week. Today though, I am back with a classic Papergang unboxing! This is actually December's box as I forgot to change my delivery address whilst I was back home in Glasgow for Christmas. This silly mistake meant I got a shiny new box of stationery as soon as I got back to Dundee - the best way ever to be welcomed home!

The Papergang’s 22nd box brought in the new year with a vibrant pop of colour! Designed by Ohh Deer’s lead designer Jade Walsh, December’s box juxtaposed 2 of 2017’s biggest trends - primary colours and botanicals. The box included 2 A5 notebooks, a pack of 3 pens, a risograph calendar print, an A6 notepad and a greetings card. Overall, the contents of the box is worth £20.35 and cost just £10.95 to subscribers.

Here are my thoughts on everything included in the box…

The biggest item in the box this month was a set of 2 A5 jotter-style notebooks - one with gridded paper and one with blank. One of the notebooks features a brightly coloured, leafy pattern and the other simply features the words “great ideas inside”. The Ohh Deer team excel at creating both heavily illustrated and minimal stationery and this pack is a perfect example of both.

The beaut of a pattern also featured on this month’s greetings card. I always feel a little bad for people who have Birthdays in January. Everyone is so exhausted by the festivities of December that they often get overlooked. This stunning design will hopefully make them feel like they have been remembered for once!

Each month, the box’s key pattern is also released as a free downloadable desktop wallpaper on the Papergang blog. I tried this month’s out and can truly say it cheered me up each time I opened my laptop. I have now changed it to the new Jacqueline Colley design ahead of the next box which, by the way, I am beyond excited for already.

Ohh Deer are also great at creating equally beautiful and functional stationery. The pocket-sized notepad is just that. Whether you are planning what you are going to do, buy or remember, this litte list pad has you covered! I already have an endless list of things to do this January so this will definitely come in handy.

The Papergang team treat subscribers to a new calendar print each month. This month’s muted design strips back the botanicals to a monochrome with a few vibrant pops of coral ink.

Finally, the box included a pack of 3 pens. Each had a different slogan on it, my favourite of which says “great ideas inside”. I'll be using them during my new term at art school so hopefully this statement in particular will turn out to be true.

As well as all these stationery delights, box number 22 also came with a little leaflet. Each month there is a leaflet, usually containing an interview with the box’s illustrator. This one however looked at the trends the was inspired by. The interesting little article was a condensed version of a post you can find on the Papergang blog here. It explains where there the trends came from and is a very interesting read.

I love it when Ohh Deer team up with new and exciting illustrators but I also really enjoyed this month’s in-house designed Papergang. All of the elements - the colour, the trendy motifs and the overall excellent design - made this mini collection an Ohh Deer classic. There is obviously a good reason Jade Walsh is the head designer at Ohh Deer. She knows the brand inside out and knows how to please stationery addicts around the world. I cant wait to see what she and the team cook up in the year that is to come. The best good thing about this unboxing being late is that there will be another in the next few days so stay tuned!